First Aid Kit Breakdown: Stop Zomboid Wounds From Killing You (Build 42.19)
Vanilla Project Zomboid Build 42.19 — kit sizes, typical contents, Health Panel use, and what first aid can (and cannot) fix.
Kit types in Build 42.19
Several containers share the “First Aid Kit” label. Stats below are the in-game shell sizes. All listed kits use 50% weight reduction on contents.
Standard / New / New Pro
Weight 1.0 · Cap 4 · Max item 1.0
Camping / Camping New
Weight 0.3 · Cap 2 · Max item 0.3
Military
Weight 0.3 · Cap 2 · Max item 0.3
What matters
Supplies inside, not the shell
| Kit | In-game name | Weight | Capacity | Max item size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | First Aid Kit | 1.0 | 4 | 1.0 | Lunchbox-style shell; often rolls with something inside |
| New / New Pro | First Aid Kit | 1.0 | 4 | 1.0 | Same size shell; denser fill tables (more rolls) |
| Camping / Camping New | First Aid Kit - Camping | 0.3 | 2 | 0.3 | Smaller, lighter; outdoor/camping-oriented rolls |
| Military | First Aid Kit - Military | 0.3 | 2 | 0.3 | Small shell; heavier medical roll weights (bandages, needles, antibiotic boxes) |
What spawns inside
When a kit is generated with bag-fill rules, contents are rolled at random with weights — you will not get every item every time.
Standard First Aid Kit (1 roll)
Common medical: alcohol wipes, bandages, adhesive bandages, cotton balls, cold pack, painkillers, surgical gloves, blunt medical scissors, scotch tape, suture needles, suture needle holder, tweezers. Low chance: disinfectant, scalpel, First Aid book vol.1.
New / New Pro (3 rolls)
Same medical family, more rolls. New Pro adds higher odds for cotton-ball boxes, pill stacks, scissors, suture needle boxes, and tongue depressors. Better chance of a “full” usable kit when found sealed/new.
Camping kits
Camping (1 roll): medical basics plus outdoor extras (jerky, granola, insect repellent, lighter/matches, magnesium firestarter, vitamins, water bottle, purification tablets). Camping New (3 rolls): more bandage/adhesive boxes, antibiotics, purification tablets; fewer bulk food rolls.
Military kit (3 rolls)
No camping junk. Higher bandage and painkiller weights, antibiotics and antibiotic boxes, suture needles/boxes, holders, tweezers, scalpel, surgical gloves. Best pure trauma loot among the small shells.
Where kits show up
- Standard / New / New Pro: medical rooms, bathrooms, clinics, lockers (including police/ranger/security lockers), offices, vehicles with medical rolls, and other containers that can drop a first aid kit.
- Camping: outdoor, hunting, and camping-oriented containers and lockers.
- Military: military/army-oriented containers and some vehicle military medical rolls.
Exact room odds vary by loot settings and world age. Prioritize medical buildings first; treat kits as a bonus, not a guaranteed hospital.
How to use a kit (Health Panel)
- Get clear of combat if you can. Heavy bleeding is a timer.
- Equip the kit as secondary (or primary), or move needed items into main inventory / worn bags so the action can find them.
- Open the Health Panel (heart icon). Read every body-part line: bleeding, glass, deep wound, fracture, infected wound, bite, etc.
- Right-click the injured part and pick the matching treatment. The character uses compatible items from inventory and open containers.
- Watch dressings: dirty bandages need replacing. Sterilized dressings and disinfectant lower local wound-infection risk; they do not stop Knox virus.
Treatment map (what the kit is for)
Use this as a field checklist. Recovery time depends on injury type, care, traits, and sandbox factors — there is no single “heal in N days” rule for every wound.
| Condition | Priority | Items / craft | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bleeding | Immediate | Bandage, adhesive bandage, ripped sheets, denim/leather strips, sterilized versions | Bandage first. Replace when dirty. Sterilized dressings when infection risk is high. |
| Glass / bullet lodged | Immediate | Tweezers or suture needle holder; then dressing | Remove the object, then bandage (and stitch if a deep wound remains). |
| Deep wound | High | Suture needle; holder improves handling; bandage | Stitch, then dress. Remove stitches later when the wound has closed. |
| Scratch / laceration / burn | Normal–high | Bandage; alcohol, disinfectant, alcohol wipes, sterilized dressings | Clean and cover. Change dirty dressings. Burns need ongoing pain and infection attention. |
| Fracture | High | Splint — craft recipe below; optional Comfrey poultice | Apply splint and plan a long mobility penalty. A splint helps recovery; it is not instant repair. |
| Infected wound (local) | High | Sterilized dressings / disinfectant; antibiotics; optional Wild Garlic poultice | Track the body-part “Infected Wound” line. Serious local infections can add damage under some sandbox wound-infection settings — this is still not Knox virus. |
| Zombie bite | Critical (lore / default rules) | Bandage for bleeding only | Default transmission cannot be cured by first aid. Manage the wound; check sandbox Transmission / Infection Mortality if you use custom rules. |
Splint recipe (current, not “2 sturdy sticks”)
What belongs in a personal medical loadout
Rebuild after you empty a looted kit. A practical everyday carry for outings:
- Stop bleeding: several bandages or ripped sheets; at least one sterilized stack if you can make them.
- Clean wounds: alcohol wipes and/or disinfectant / drinking alcohol that the game accepts for disinfection.
- Tools: tweezers or suture needle holder; suture needle for deep wounds.
- Pain: painkillers. Panic control (beta blockers) is optional but helps actions while stressed.
- Fracture insurance: a finished splint, or the fabric + stick materials to craft one in the field.
- Local infection: antibiotics for wound infection only — not a zombie cure.
Vitamins reduce fatigue slightly; they are not a fever, food-poison, or Knox treatment. Leave bulk boxes and books at base unless you have free capacity.
Infection triage (do not mix causes)
| What you see | Likely cause | Use from the kit? |
|---|---|---|
| Body part shows Infected Wound | Local wound infection | Yes — sterilized dressings, disinfectant, antibiotics, rest |
| Bite after zombie contact (default rules) | Knox / zombie infection risk | Bandage the wound only; no cure in the kit |
| Sick after bad food / unknown plants | Food sickness | Not antibiotics-as-cure; stop the source, rest, clean water/food (Lemon Grass helps mild food poison cases) |
| Sick near corpses / rotten piles | Corpse / environment sickness | Leave and clear corpses; kit does not replace distance |
| Has a Cold moodle | Cold / flu track | Warmth, rest, cold herbs (e.g. Common Mallow) — not the same as wound infection |
First Aid skill (short version)
Higher First Aid speeds medical timed actions and improves how clearly you can assess injuries. It does not reduce zombie transmission chance and does not unlock a vanilla bite cure. For XP values and safe training limits, see the dedicated First Aid leveling guide linked below.
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